Flossing The Effective Way

Flossing is an essential part of any oral health care routine. It helps remove plaque from between your teeth, in areas that the toothbrush can't reach, and it helps prevent gum disease and dental decay. Plaque that is not removed with thorough daily brushing and cleaning between teeth can eventually harden into calculus or tartar.

People who have difficulty handling dental floss may prefer to use another kind of interdental cleaner such as special brushes. If you use interdental cleaners, ask your dentist how to use them properly to avoid injuring your gums.

 

Here are some tips on how to properly floss your teeth:

	Break off about 18 inches of floss and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the remaining floss around the same finger of the opposite hand. This finger will take up the floss as it becomes dirty.
	Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers.
	Guide the floss between your teeth using a gentle rubbing motion. Never snap the floss into the gums.
	When the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a C shape against one tooth. Gently slide it into the space between the gum and the tooth.
	Hold the floss tightly against the tooth. Gently rub the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum with up and down motions. Repeat this method on the rest of your teeth. Don’t forget the back side of your last tooth. For more information visit our website at http://www.BlochDentistry.com or Call our friendly staff to schedule an appointment at (305)385-5555

Tap Water or Bottled Water for My Teeth?



Drinking water with fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. However, if your family drinks bottled water, you may be missing out on those benefits.

That’s because many bottled waters do not contain fluoride. If you want to know if the bottled water you drink contains fluoride, be sure to check the label.

Also, if you use a home water filter and bottle your own water, you may be removing the fluoride from your tap water.

Simple tips like this one can prevent tooth decay. Make sure to always schedule regular visits to your dentist to help keep a beautiful and healthy smile!

For more information visit our website at http://www.BlochDentistry.com. We want to see you smile!

Suffering From Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth—also called xerostomia—results from an inadequate flow of saliva. It is not a disease, but a symptom of a medical disorder or a side effect of certain medications, such as antihistamines, decongestants, pain killers, diuretics and many others.

Saliva is the mouth’s primary defense against tooth decay and maintains the health of the soft and hard tissues in the mouth. Saliva washes away food and other debris, neutralizes acids produced by bacteria in the mouth and provides disease-fighting substances throughout the mouth, offering first-line protection against microbial invasion or overgrowth that might lead to disease.

Some of the common problems associated with dry mouth include a constant sore throat, burning sensation, trouble speaking, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness or dry nasal passages. Without saliva, extensive tooth decay can also occur.

Your dentist can recommend various methods to restore moisture. Sugar-free candy or gum stimulates saliva flow, and moisture can be replaced by using artificial saliva and oral rinses.
For more information, visit the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation at www.sjogrens.org.

For more information visist- www.ada.org or vistit www.blochdentistry.com

Call our friendly staff to schedule an appointment at (305)385-5555 or visit our website. We want to see you smile!

Cosmetic Dentistry Tips on How to Prevent Cavities

Cavities are a reality of life that everyone faces sooner or later, but with a littlediscipline and and help from your dentist cavities can be prevented and fixed.

Tooth decay is the destruction of your tooth enamel, the hard, outer layer of your teeth. It can be a problem for children, teens and adults. Plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, constantly forms on your teeth. When you eat or drink foods containing sugars, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack tooth enamel. The stickiness of the plaque keeps these acids in contact with your teeth and over time the enamel can break down. This is when cavities can form. A cavity is a little hole in your tooth.

Cavities are more common among children, but changes that occur with aging make cavities an adult problem, too. Recession of the gums away from the teeth, combined with an increased incidence of gum disease, can expose tooth roots to plaque. Tooth roots are covered with cementum, a softer tissue than enamel. They are susceptible to decay and are more sensitive to touch and to hot and cold. It’s common for people over age 50 to have tooth-root decay.

Decay around the edges, or a margin, of fillings is also common for older adults. Because many older adults lacked benefits of fluoride and modern preventive dental care when they were growing up, they often have a number of dental fillings. Over the years, these fillings may weaken and tend to fracture and leak around the edges. Bacteria accumulate in these tiny crevices causing acid to build up which leads to decay.

You can help prevent tooth decay by following these tips:

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Clean between your teeth daily with floss or interdental cleaner.
• Eat nutritious and balanced meals and limit snacking.
• Check with your dentist about the use of supplemental fluoride, which strengthens your teeth, and about use of dental sealants (a plastic protective coating) applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (where decay often starts) to protect them from decay.
• Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and oral examination.

For more information please visit www.ada.org or schedule an appointment at Bloch Dentistry Center. Call (305)385-5555 or visit our website at www.BlochDentistry.com. We want to see you smile!

Simple Habits For a Healthy Smile For Life

Dr. Jonathan Bloch

We all know life can be a bit crazy sometimes. Work, kids, school, traffic! It is sometimes overwhelming, but don’t get too busy to neglect your dental health. Your dental care is just as important now as it was when you were a kid. Untreated dental disease can lead to serious health issues like dental infections, bone loss around teeth, dental nerve damage, and even tooth loss. A few simple habits can go a long way in helping you maintain a healthy smile, even when you are too busy.  Brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss once a day and visit your dentist regularly for both check ups and cleanings. These simple habits can help you maintain a Healthy smile for Life.

What About Missing Teeth

Did you know that the average adult between the ages of 20 and 64 has three or more decayed or missing teeth? If you are missing one or more teeth, there are plenty of ways to correct the problem. Schedule an appointment with our office for more information about improving your smile and find out how you can maintain a healthy smile for life!

Call our friendly staff to schedule an appointment at (305)385-5555 or visit our website at www.BlochDentistry.com. We want to see you smile!

Is Chewing Gum Good for Your Teeth?

Chewing gum in various forms has been around since ancient times. The Greeks chewed sap from the mastic tree, called mastiche. On the other side of the world, the ancient Mayans favored the sap of the sapodilla tree (called tsiclte). Native Americans from New England chewed spruce sap—a habit they passed on to European settlers. Today, the base used for most gum products is a blend of synthetic materials (elastomeres, resins and waxes in various proportions). However, chewing gum is as popular as ever.

Consumers may be used to thinking about chewing gum as a kind of candy, but this category of the ADA Seal recognizes chewing gum that has demonstrated scientifically that it can protect the teeth.

 

For an informative article on the history of chewing gum, visit

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/85/8532sci2.html (Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.)

The physical act of chewing increases the flow of saliva in your mouth. If you chew after eating, the increased salivary flow can help neutralize and wash away the acids that are produced when food is broken down by the bacteria in plaque on your teeth. Over time, acid can break down tooth enamel, creating the conditions for decay. Increased saliva flow also carries with it more calcium and phosphate to help strengthen tooth enamel. Clinical studies have shown that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay.

Find out more information on other interesting oral health topics, please visit our website or

Call our friendly staff to schedule an appointment at (305)385-5555 or visit our website at www.BlochDentistry.com. We want to see you smile!

 

Tooth whitening in The Dental Office

By. Dr. Jonathan Bloch

Everyone would love to have a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help you achieve a healthy bright smile or simply improve the look of your smile.

Many people are satisfied with the sparkle they get from brushing twice daily with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, cleaning between their teeth once a day and regular cleanings. If you decide you would like to go beyond this to make your smile look brighter, you should investigate all of your options.

You can take several approaches to whiten your smile:

• In-office bleaching;
• At-home bleaching;
• Whitening toothpastes

For faster and better results we suggest a in-office tooth whitening procedure that is fast and effective. This procedure is called chairside bleaching and may require more than one office visit. Each visit may take from 30 minutes to one hour.

During chairside bleaching, the dentist will apply either a protective gel to your gums or a rubber shield to protect the oral soft tissues. A bleaching agent is then applied to the teeth, and a special light may be used to enhance the action of the agent. An hour later your teeth are several shades whiter.

At-home bleaching trays and whitening toothpastes can also help you brighten your smile, but take longer and may be less effective than in-office bleaching.

Call our friendly staff to schedule an appointment at (305)385-5555 or visit our website at www.BlochDentistry.com. We want to see you smile!